AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Tina shook her head. “There’s been no word from her or Bjorn.”
Oh.
Marissa definitely had a rebellious streak, and even though Bjorn was lawful good, the big bear was so head over heels in love with her that he’d go along with whatever wild plan she’d come up with. At least, that was what I’d been telling myself when we hadn’t heard from them. But now it was past midnight, and there was no sign of them. He would’ve brought her back by now.
“Any more word from Highway Patrol?” I wasn’t sure what kind of answer I hoped for.
“Nothing,” Tina said. “Some of us had gone out and searched town to see if anything had changed, but it’s business as usual down there. Suzanne is holding court in front of HQ, big surprise, and now she’s insisting she’s got the Hudaknocker in her possession.”
“No,” I gasped. But the possibility was all too real. Marissa had been panicked the night of the Hudaknocker heist, but Suzanne had probably been as cool as a cucumber. She probably dropped a pin on the location while Marissa was disposing of the blasted thing.
But she’d also claimed that wolves had come to harass her about the relic’s whereabouts. So her being so vocal about recovering it didn’t add up.
Unless she was trying to cover for her daughter. But she didn’t seem like the type to take the fall, even for her own blood.
The last thing this night needed was another riddle.
“I’ve been checking the gossip sites,” Stephanie added. “To see if there have been any Marissa and Bjorn sightings today. The fans have been good about that in the past. But there’s nothing. There’s actually some speculation that the episode might be canceled because of the lawsuit against Bjorn and because the two of them are known not to get along. Viewers have seen them bickering on the set of the previous episodes.”
“Suzanne,” I groaned. It was completely her MO to break more than one story at once. She would confuse everyone trying to keep up with the reporting and then get exclusive access to the story. “Was that from today?”
“The thread isn’t new, but it is still active.”
I hated that anyone doubted Marissa and Bjorn. No, they weren’t love at first sight, but I believed that the two of them belonged together. Once we put the episode together, people would fall in love right along with them. As much as I hated these new developments, it was also a good sign that Suzanne was not in a panic over her daughter’s whereabouts.
A piece of me still feared she might have a hand in this, but I couldn’t worry about her right now. I had to find Marissa and Bjorn.
Hugo pulled up inThe Mating Gamevan. He’d brought Hannah back to the chalet.
He furrowed his brow as he approached. “You look like we’ve got more bad news.”
“More like no news.” I shook my head. “Did Bjorn say anything about what his plans were today? Has he mentioned anything when the two of you were hanging out at the house?”
“He said he wanted to see Marissa. I figured that meant he was coming here.” Hugo ran his hand over his bald head, a move he made when he was frustrated. “He’s mentioned the lakes in the mountains regarding his pack. Asked a lot of questions about how long the mountains stay covered with snow and what kind of fish are in those lakes. Things like that. But I can’t imagine they’d go up there today with the avalanche warnings.”
“He’s not from here. He might not have known the danger, just like Hannah.” So many worst-case scenarios were dancing through my head. “He needs to find sustainable land for his pack. Or a mate. And Marissa’s been playing impossible to get, so, of course, he’d want to go up there. What if they’re stuck up there because of the avalanche?”
“They could’ve gone to one of the towns farther out if the road had closed,” Saint suggested. “But there were several reports of avalanches today, and Lionsgate Highway is notorious for getting shut down this time of year.”
I turned to Lars. “Did you sense anyone else out there?”
He shook his head. “I only sensed Hannah because she’s my mate.”
That earned some gasps from the crowd.
“Do you think you could find a human and a bear in an avalanche?”
“I can definitely give it all I’ve got.”
“Wonderful. Okay, what do you think the plan should be?”
“Highway patrol does its best to keep the roads open, but they prioritize the events closer to town. Most locals expect Lionsgate Highway to be closed at some point this time of year because the snow slides off the mountains faster than it can be cleared, and it’s not safe for their workers to be out there.”
That sent a chill down my spine. “Is it safe for you to be out there?”
“I’ve spent my entire life in those mountains, long before the modern roads existed.” Lars’ declaration earned more murmurs from the peanut gallery. “I can survive anything.”
But could Marissa and Bjorn? “Would you be willing to check the road? I don’t believe any of the rest of us would be able to get up there. But you don’t have a way to get in touch with us.”
